Sunday 31st January 2010

Today is a 'sea day' as we prepare for arrival tomorrow in the Falklands. We are now out of the Magellan Strait/Beagle Channel/Drake Passage area and feeling the effects of the South Atlantic. I am doing a trip to Bluff Cove Lagoon. This is supposed to be the 'Innovative Shore Excursion of the Year 2009'. We will see. The trip involves minibus to Bluff Cove Farm. Then I transfer to a 4 x 4 vehicle, (Land Rover) for an 'exhilarating 30 minute off-road adventure to the Bluff Cove Lagoon penguin colonies. The drive is through stunning vistas but also, presumably involves white knuckles. When we get to our destination there will be awaiting us, I assume in full black and white uniforms, a colony of 1,000 Gentoo penguins and an 'expanding colony' of King Penguins. On the beach there will also be Magellanic penguins. There are also many other birds there. Other highlights of the trip include:

• Walking along the beach and beachcombing.
  
• Calling at the Sea Cabbage Café on the beach which serves up hot drinks and snacks which include fresh scones and 'Diddle Dee' jam!! Plus, of course, fresh farm cream.
  
• There is also a museum with lots of exhibits of life in the islands, wrecks, handicrafts as well as the items from the war of 1982.
  
• There are some demonstrations of spinning and weaving and, of course, the obligatory gift shop.
  

I think this may be one of the highlights of the trip and I am very much looking forward to it. I am sure that my camera will be red-hot to the touch by the end of the day. So far the weather on all the trip[s has been favorable but as my cruise companions are not coming on this one with me and they have certainly been good-luck talisman with the weather up until now, I am hoping that I can keep up the good weather record. I really don't care what it is like I have wet weather gear and will take it as it comes.

The trip above takes three hours and the ship is there from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. so as I start out first thing in the morning, I should be back by lunch time and able to spend some time in the town where there is a cathedral and 'English pubs'!!!

I am hoping, when I get back home and get a better internet connection either to update the daily blogs with relevant photos or otherwise just to publish one single blog with photos with descriptions underneath. As there are several of my cruise companions who are also taking photos, I hope that we will be able to exchange them at the end giving a complete record of the journey.

Slightly curiously for a vessel which is registered in the Marshall Islands which are as I recall a US dependent territory they seem to have a penchant for arranging 'British' events. The passenger complement consists of quite a number of Canadians, a few Dutch, some British but the majority, I would guess are Americans. There is an on board lecturer and also a husband and wife comedy/magic duo who are British so I am at a loss to explain why there should be such a British focus. Those who know me will hardly be surprised to learn that I have avoided these gatherings!!!